Mozambique,[d] officially the Republic of Mozambique,[e] is a country located in
southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north,
Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South
Africa to the southwest. The sovereign state is separated from the Comoros, Mayotte
and Madagascar by the Mozambique Channel to the east. The capital and largest city
is Maputo.
Between the 7th and 11th centuries, a series of Swahili port towns developed on
that area, which contributed to the development of a distinct Swahili culture and
dialect. In the late medieval period, these towns were frequented by traders from
Somalia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Arabia, Persia, and India.[10] The voyage of Vasco da
Gama in 1498 marked the arrival of the Portuguese, who began a gradual process of
colonisation and settlement in 1505. After over four centuries of Portuguese rule,
Mozambique gained independence in 1975, becoming the People's Republic of
Mozambique shortly thereafter. After only two years of independence, the country
descended into an intense and protracted civil war lasting from 1977 to 1992. In
1994, Mozambique held its first multiparty elections and has since remained a
relatively stable presidential republic, although it still faces a low-intensity
insurgency distinctively in the farthermost regions from the southern capital and
where Islam is dominant.
Mozambique is endowed with rich and extensive natural resources, notwithstanding
the country's economy is based chiefly on fishery—substantially molluscs,
crustaceans and echinoderms—and agriculture with a growing industry of food and
beverages, chemical manufacturing, aluminium and oil. The tourism sector is
expanding. South Africa remains Mozambique's main trading partner, preserving a
close relationship with Portugal[11] with a perspective on other European markets.
Since 2001, Mozambique's GDP growth has been thriving, but since 2014/15, both a
significant decrease in household real consumption and a sharp rise in economic
inequality have been observed.[12] The nation remains one of the poorest and most
underdeveloped countries in the world,[13] ranking low in GDP per capita, human
development, measures of inequality and average life expectancy.[14]
The country's population of around 34,777,605, as of 2024 estimates, which is a
2.96% population increase from 2023, is composed of overwhelmingly Bantu peoples.
However, the only official language in Mozambique is Portuguese, which is spoken in
urban areas as a first or second language by most, and generally as a lingua franca
between younger Mozambicans with access to formal education. The most important
local languages include Tsonga, Makhuwa, Sena, Chichewa, and Swahili. Glottolog
lists 46 languages spoken in the country,[15] of which one is a signed language
(Mozambican Sign Language/Língua de sinais de Moçambique). The largest religion in
Mozambique is Christianity, with significant minorities following Islam and African
traditional religions. Mozambique is a member of the United Nations, the African
Union, the Commonwealth of Nations (a rare example of a Commonwealth country that
is not a former British colony), the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the
Community of Portuguese Language Countries, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Southern
African Development Community, and is an observer at La Francophonie.
Etymology
The country was named Moçambique by the Portuguese after the Island of Mozambique,
derived from either Mussa Bin Bique, Musa Al Big, Mossa Al Bique, Mussa Ben Mbiki
or Mussa Ibn Malik, an Arab trader who first visited the island and later lived
there[16] and was still alive when Vasco da Gama called at the island in 1498.[17]
The island-town was the capital of the Portuguese colony until 1898, when it was
moved south to Lourenço Marques (now Maputo).
